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Gamescom 2011: Details on Battlefield 3's Co-Op Mode

Battlefield 3's co-op campaign will feature a storyline all its own, DICE revealed today, with six difficult missions set in the same world as the single-player campaign.

Multiplayer designer Lars Gustavsson and lead co-op designer David Spinnier revealed Battlefield 3's new mode at Gamescom with a hands-on demo of Exfiltration, a mission which tasks co-op players with snatching an informant, Hamid El Zakir, from a guarded apartment building and escorting him out of the city. See the Gamescom demo below:

Posting today on the official Battlefield Blog, Spinnier put the above demo in context, providing further details on what Battlefield 3 co-op will offer:

-- The six varied co-op missions provide a storyline separate from the campaign and lead up to "an explosive finish." Missions will take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes to complete.

-- Players take on the role of soliders that are not tied to any one particular branch of the Armed Forces.

-- The difficulty level in co-op is adjustable, but the missions are designed to be more challenging than the single-player campaign missions.

-- To get through the more difficult missions, players will regularly use the co-op mode's Man Down mechanic, which allows players to revive their downed partner. DICE noted downed players will still be able to defend themselves with a secondary weapon and crawl to cover. The mission ends if both players are downed at the same time.

-- Co-op is tied to BF3's new social network, Battlelog, allowing players to see the high scores of their friends and battle for bragging rights.

-- A number of weapons are unlockable in co-op mode, and once they are in a player's inventory, they can be used in regular multiplayer modes.

Battlefield 3 is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is scheduled for launch on October 25.

Spy Guy says: For those who might ask, the demo was played on a PS3. What did you think? DICE might want to dial down that over-the-top triggered dialogue seen in the demo a bit for the final version. And unfortunately for console players, split-screen play is not an option. Otherwise, looking good. What's your take on co-op mode in Battlefield 3?